The Democracy of our Conscience Made Clear - 2

A discussion with Pastor Jody McKewen

Since this is a religious discussion, I want to point out here to our non-believing friends that we all benefit from the inherent mercy in God or our collective conscientious awareness, working from Life greater than all of us.

Commenting on the previous discussion, Pastor McKewen starts:

Very well put. I really like the comparison of the blinding of the conscience to alcoholism. Really a lot to ponder, but I think you’re really onto something.

Thank you, as a pastor do you see any benefits of looking at Christ’s teaching this way?

Absolutely. These teachings have the power to change the world. Because of so much hate being done in the name of Christ, many won’t hear the traditional message. Unfortunately, when a lot of people hear Christian or even Jesus, they quit listening. I’m trying to show people his true teachings, but your method could get people to think differently even before that. I believe that Christ would rather people love one another than have the “correct” beliefs. Well done!!

I’m so glad you see this difference. He chose the Good Samaritan as an example for his followers, and the Samaritans did not even believe in him. He said if you do not believe in me, at least believe in my works. Loving our enemies underlies all of his works. He performed miracles mainly to get everyone’s attention. Encouraging us every step of the way, he clarified that the judgment of nations applies to each of us as to whether we clothe and feed the least among us, the least being our enemies. Thus, he pointed out that loving those who love us brings no reward, whereas loving our enemies brings great reward. Thinking it is a great act of faith to love an enemy does not line up with the truth setting us free from slavery to sin. It is a sin not to love our enemy, but that doesn’t mean it is willful. If we choose to, but cannot love an enemy, it’s because we are still slaves in our heart, the conscience of our heart, and need knowledge of the truth to be set free.

Have you ever read Richard Rohr?

No, tell me about him.

I think you would really like him. He’s an unconventional Franciscan priest. Two books to start would be Falling Upward and Immortal Diamond. He talks about the two halves of life. The first part is the dualistic; it has to be one or the other. The second half is the integral, where we can see in shades. He says it’s not either/or, but yes/and. Really great stuff. Of course, he acknowledges that most people never make it to the second half.

Perhaps most of us never make it there because we don’t have the knowledge and circumstances do not compel us to look for it. But now circumstances in the world are compelling people to search, but I don’t think they know what they’re searching for.

Very true. Rohr and I are both students of Spiral Dynamics. It’s what I’ve found to be the most accurate theory for human psychosocial evolution.

Very interesting. Perhaps, it is what I describe as the individual and collective boundaries of our world conscience. Inside these boundaries, our love is at peace with those who love us. Outside them are those we cannot love because they are enemies of those we love. Through the generations, these boundaries spiral inwardly until confrontation is necessary between different singularities of the spiraling. But those whose boundaries encompass the world conscience can love those who hate the ones they love, while protecting the ones they love better. They can also help resolve these confrontations if it’s not too late for at least one side to listen.

Sounds very similar.

The limited boundaries are impenetrable because the memories of our actions and intentions reside outside our world conscience, for entering its singularity is based on this mature love. I believe this is why the desire of our soul, as revealed by Isaiah, is for God and his memory. God doesn’t use his memory of our past to judge us when we choose to learn how to love the enemies of our conscience. Instead, his memory teaches us where we were blind and how the eyes of our conscience can be opened again.

I think you’ll really like him. I like the way you see things. I like that “teaches us where we were blind.” We’ve forgotten who we are.

I like him already. As I am sure you know, we can’t know who we are without loving the enemies of our conscience. For one, if we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, there’s nothing outside of that to love our neighbor as ourselves. I believe it means that we need to make our neighbor more important in our conscience so that we can love God through them. Second, the knowledge to do this through an enemy requires us to understand their blindness, for they are no different than the rest of us, just blind or more blind. Only when we can see them through this love can we see who we really are also.

I agree with you completely. I believe there are no enemies to hate, only siblings to love, even through family squabbles.

Beautifully put. To help some of our siblings understand why we love them so much, we can share our knowledge of the journey that we’ve all taken into blindness and how it works. The free will we have been given works first in our conscience. When we are not blind and choose to work from selfish desires, we’re incapable of carrying out our desire in the face of those who see. Our conscience at this point will not allow it. So in essence, if we insist on carrying out such desires, we blind our conscience, concluding that no one sees us. We all went there, we can all come back. That is why we love them so much, God’s mercy in Christ. For the nonbeliever, it is the inherent mercy in our collective conscientious awareness, working from Life greater than all of us.

What you’ve shared is a beautiful reflection on the journey we all take—the ways we can become blind to truth, to love, and to the presence of God, and yet how His mercy is always calling us back.

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I invite anyone to a discussion, whatever your viewpoint. To read more, start with step one.